All Time

Monday, December 26, 2016

Die Beautiful

♣♣♣♣/♣♣♣♣♣

After
bringing home one first-runner up sash too many, Trisha (Paolo Ballesteros)
finally wins a coveted title, that of Miss Gay Philippines. As the queens pose
for a final group picture, he feels nauseated and ends up collapsing under the
weight of his crown. Rushed to the nearest hospital, he no longer wakes up. What
follows is an argument on who should bring home the body. His father (Joel
Torre) and sister Beth (Gladys Reyes) both want to bring his corpse back home
and bury him as a man, but his best friend Barbs (Christian Bables) won’t
budge, arguing that he and his adopted daughter have been his only family ever
since they disowned him when he came out of the closet. A glamorous life deserves a fabulous death, and Trisha’s only wish is to be transformed into a
different celebrity for every night of his wake. He died beautiful, will he still be
on the day of his interment?

When
news came out that Ballesteros would be part of a movie showcasing his make-up
transformation gig, it felt as though the producers were just cashing in on the
attention he has attracted worldwide for his talent as a make-up artist. On top
of that, the persistent image of the Filipino gay guy has always been that of
the loudmouthed crossdresser cracking offensive jokes at the expense of the
people around him, all while joining barangay-level beauty pageants left and
right as his raison d’être. What can this film add to the discourse that we don’t
already know? Lucky for us, this simply isn’t the case. A motherhood angle is
present, and while it does not serve as the main focus of the narrative, it does
help in giving the tired premise a heart through the lens of parenthood.

The
director opted for a non-linear way to tell his story. This is tricky because
it can easily throw viewers off-guard, which is why caution is necessary. That
does not appear to be a problem for this film, though. On the contrary, it
seems to have helped a lot in fleshing out Trisha’s character even more. With
every past event concealed, you sit and eagerly await the next piece of the
puzzle. Why did this end up like that? How did that happen? It was also a good
plot device to hide some unexpected subplots that just come out of nowhere and
hit you at the most opportune moment. You’ll feel as though you’ve known Trisha
for years when you leave the cinema. The director has crafted his narrative in
a way that it would connect better to its audience. And for that, he deserves
some kudos.

Ballesteros’
face has always been a good canvas for artwork. Even before he got famous for
his make-up transformations online, he had already been transforming as a woman
whenever Eat Bulaga held a ridiculous pageant for fun. It’s both funny and
amusing how he always ended up prettier than the biological female members of
the gang whenever he was dolled up. But more than his gift for cosmetics, this
film has given him the opportunity to explore acting in depth, given how he
only dabbled in it before in small roles that did not really showcase his
potential.

Winning
the award for Best Actor in the recently concluded Tokyo Film Festival, we can
say that his first attempt at a lead role has been successful. It mustn’t have
been that difficult for him to tap into his real-life situation as a single
father to find that gravitas necessary for the role of a parent. Hopefully, he
would continue expanding his repertoire and honing his craft. There’s nothing
wrong about hosting, but if you have the face and the acting prowess then you
can do the local industry a big favor by contributing more as a legit actor in
a sea of physically attractive wannabes who can’t act to save their lives.

Bables
as Barbs is another revelation. The guy looks familiar, although his name does
not really ring a bell. In any case, as the strong-willed and supportive best
friend, he manages to hold his own against Ballesteros. Their rapport makes
their onscreen relationship look real, as if they have been friends and
braiding each other’s hair since kindergarten. He is funny when needed be but
also steps up in the dramatically charged scenes. After stalking his IMDB
profile, he appears to be a newbie with just two entries in his filmography. Just
like Ballesteros, here’s hoping that we’d see more of him tackling different
roles. I would not be surprised if the two of them ended up with a clean sweep of the acting awards on the
29th.